EFFICIENT METHOD FOR DETERMINING A PREFERRED ANTENNA PATTERN

• US 20110286372A1
• Filed: 11/16/2010
• Published: 11/24/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Taghavi Nasrabadi, Mohammad Hossein, Sampath, Hemanth, Jain, Avinash
• Granted Patent: US 8,787,343 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/310
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0691 using subgroups of transmit antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0695 using beam selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/082 selecting best antenna path
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0851 using training sequences or error signal minimizing error signal H04B7/0854
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0874 using subgroups of receive antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/088 using beam selection

Abstract

Aspects of the present disclosure propose a method for determining preferred transmit and receive antenna patterns of a wireless device with respect to another wireless device. The method generally includes determining the beamforming or calibrating coefficients corresponding to the preferred transmit and receive antenna patterns of a wireless device iteratively.

Claims

1. A first apparatus for wireless communications, comprising:

a receiver configured to iteratively receive, with a subset of antennas of the first apparatus, a plurality of reference signals transmitted by a second apparatus, wherein each reference signal is received utilizing a different combination of coefficients for the subset of antennas and the subset of antennas is adjusted after each iteration; and

a processing system configured to determine one or more coefficients corresponding to a preferred receive antenna pattern based on the plurality of reference signals and to configure the receiver to receive data from the second apparatus with the preferred receive antenna pattern.

2. The first apparatus of claim 1, wherein the receiver is configured to adjust a number of antennas in the subset of antennas in each iteration by adding to or deleting one or more antennas from the subset.

3. The first apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the receiver is further configured to adjust the subset of antennas and receive another plurality of reference signals transmitted by the second apparatus; and

the processing system is configured to determine one or more coefficients for the adjusted subset of antennas based on the other plurality of reference signals.

4. The first apparatus of claim 1, wherein the coefficients are selected from a defined set of values.

5. The first apparatus of claim 1, wherein one or more of the coefficients for each receive antenna correspond to one or more frequencies.

6. The first apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first and the second apparatuses are incorporated in a single apparatus.

7. The first apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processing system is configured to:

assign an initial set of coefficients to one or more antennas of the first apparatus; and

update one or more of the coefficients in the set in each iteration.

8. The first apparatus of claim 1 wherein the processing system is configured to determine the preferred receive antenna pattern utilizing a beamforming codebook and the coefficients.

9. The first apparatus of claim 8, wherein the processing system is configured to:

generate one or more additional receive antenna patterns by utilizing the beamforming codebook and the preferred receive antenna pattern.

10. The first apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the processing system is configured to determine a preferred transmit antenna pattern for transmissions from the second apparatus to the first apparatus; and

the first apparatus comprises a transmitter configured to transmit a message to the second apparatus, wherein the message comprises information about the preferred transmit antenna pattern.

11. The first apparatus of claim 10, wherein:

the processing system is configured to determine a preferred transmit antenna pattern by at least one of disabling all but one antenna of the first apparatus or switching to an antenna configuration with a quasi-Omni-directional pattern utilizing one or more operating antennas;

the receiver is further configured to receive a plurality of signals from the second apparatus using the operating antennas; and

the processing system is configured to measure power of the plurality of signals received by the operating antennas and determine the preferred transmit antenna pattern for the transmissions from the second apparatus corresponding to a received signal with a highest power.

12. A first apparatus for determining a preferred transmit antenna pattern for wireless communications, comprising:

a processing system configured to assign a plurality of combinations of coefficients to one or more transmit antennas of the first apparatus for transmission in a plurality of iterations, wherein a number of nonzero coefficients in each combination is adjusted in each iteration;

a transmitter configured to transmit, for each iteration, a plurality of reference signals to a second apparatus, wherein each reference signal is transmitted using one of the combinations of coefficients; and

a receiver configured to receive a message from the second apparatus, wherein the message comprises an indication of a preferred combination of coefficients for the transmit antennas of the first apparatus, wherein the preferred combination is determined based on quality of a plurality of received reference signals at the second apparatus;

wherein the processing system is configured to determine a preferred transmit antenna pattern utilizing at least the preferred combination of coefficients.

13. The first apparatus of claim 12, wherein the transmitter is configured to transmit data to the second apparatus with the preferred transmit antenna pattern.

14. The first apparatus of claim 12, wherein:

the processing system is configured to determine the plurality of combinations of coefficients by selecting one or more nonzero coefficients and setting remaining coefficients to zero.

15. The first apparatus of claim 14, wherein:

the processing system is configured to adjust number of nonzero coefficients in the combinations of coefficients.

16. The first apparatus of claim 15, wherein the processing system is configured to adjust number of nonzero coefficients by:

adding another one or more nonzero coefficients to the combinations of coefficients.

17. The first apparatus of claim 12, wherein one or more coefficients for each antenna correspond to one or more frequencies.

18. The first apparatus of claim 12, wherein the first and the second apparatuses are incorporated in a single apparatus.

19. The first apparatus of claim 12, wherein each coefficient is selected from a set of values.

20. The first apparatus of claim 12, wherein the processing system is configured to determine the preferred transmit antenna pattern utilizing a beamforming codebook and the preferred combination of coefficients.

21. The first apparatus of claim 20, wherein the processing system is configured to generate one or more additional transmit antenna patterns by utilizing the beamforming codebook and the preferred transmit antenna pattern.

22. The first apparatus of claim 12, wherein the transmitter is further configured to transmit a plurality of reference signals to the second apparatus, wherein the plurality of reference signals are used by the second apparatus to determine a preferred receive antenna pattern for receiving transmissions from the first apparatus to the second apparatus.

23. A method for wireless communications, comprising:

iteratively receiving, with a subset of antennas of a first apparatus, a plurality of reference signals transmitted by a second apparatus, wherein each reference signal is received utilizing a different combination of coefficients for the subset of antennas and the subset of antennas is adjusted after each iteration;

determining one or more coefficients for one or more antennas in the subset of antennas based on the plurality of reference signals; and

receiving data from the second apparatus with the preferred receive antenna pattern determined utilizing the coefficients.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

adjusting a number of antennas in the subset of antennas in each iteration by adding to or deleting one or more antennas from the subset.

25. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

adjusting the subset of antennas;

receiving another plurality of reference signals transmitted by the second apparatus; and

determining one or more coefficients for the adjusted subset of antennas based on the other plurality of reference signals.

26. The method of claim 23, wherein the coefficients are selected from a set of values.

27. The method of claim 23, wherein one or more of the coefficients for each receive antenna correspond to one or more frequencies.

28. The method of claim 23, wherein the first and the second apparatuses are incorporated in a single apparatus.

29. The method of claim 23, wherein the determining comprises:

assigning an initial set of coefficients to one or more antennas of the first apparatus; and

updating one or more of the coefficients in the set in each iteration.

30. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

determining the preferred receive antenna pattern utilizing a beamforming codebook and the coefficients.

31. The method of claim 30, further comprising:

generating one or more additional receive antenna patterns by utilizing the beamforming codebook and the preferred receive antenna pattern.

32. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

determining a preferred transmit antenna pattern for transmissions from a second apparatus to the first apparatus; and

transmitting a message to the second apparatus, wherein the message comprises information about the preferred transmit antenna pattern.

33. The method of claim 32, further comprising:

disabling all but one antenna of the first apparatus or switching to an antenna configuration with a quasi-Omni-directional pattern utilizing one or more operating antennas;

receiving a plurality of signals from the second apparatus using the operating antennas;

measuring power of the plurality of signals received by the operating antennas; and

determining the preferred transmit antenna pattern for the transmissions from the second apparatus corresponding to a received signal with a highest power.

34. A method for wireless communications, comprising:

assigning a plurality of combinations of coefficients to one or more transmit antennas of the first apparatus for transmission in a plurality of iterations, wherein a number of nonzero coefficients in each combination is adjusted in each iteration;

transmitting, for each iteration, a plurality of reference signals to a second apparatus, wherein each reference signal is transmitted using one of the combinations of coefficients;

receiving a message from the second apparatus, wherein the message comprises an indication of a preferred combination of coefficients for the transmit antennas of the first apparatus, wherein the preferred combination is determined based on quality of a plurality of received reference signals at the second apparatus; and

determining the preferred transmit antenna pattern utilizing at least the preferred combination of coefficients.

35. The method of claim 34, further comprising:

transmitting data to the second apparatus with the preferred transmit antenna pattern.

36. The method of claim 34, further comprising:

determining the plurality of combinations of coefficients by selecting one or more nonzero coefficients and setting remaining coefficients to zero.

37. The method of claim 36, further comprising:

adjusting number of nonzero coefficients in the combinations of coefficients.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein adjusting number of nonzero coefficients comprises:

adding another one or more nonzero coefficients to the combinations of coefficients.

39. The method of claim 34, wherein one or more coefficients for each antenna correspond to one or more frequencies.

40. The method of claim 34, wherein the first and the second apparatuses are incorporated in a single apparatus.

41. The method of claim 34, wherein each coefficient is selected from a set of values.

42. The method of claim 34, wherein determining comprises:

determining the preferred transmit antenna pattern utilizing a beamforming codebook and the preferred combination of coefficients.

43. The method of claim 42, further comprising:

generating one or more additional transmit antenna patterns by utilizing the beamforming codebook and the preferred transmit antenna pattern.

44. The method of claim 34, further comprising:

transmitting a plurality of reference signals to the second apparatus, wherein the plurality of reference signals are used by the second apparatus to determine a preferred receive antenna pattern for receiving transmissions from the first apparatus to the second apparatus.

45. A first apparatus for wireless communications, comprising:

means for iteratively receiving, with a subset of antennas of the first apparatus, a plurality of reference signals transmitted by a second apparatus, wherein each reference signal is received utilizing a different combination of coefficients for the subset of antennas and the subset of antennas is adjusted after each iteration;

means for determining one or more coefficients for one or more antennas in the subset of antennas based on the plurality of reference signals; and

means for receiving data from the second apparatus with the preferred receive antenna pattern determined utilizing the coefficients.

46. The first apparatus of claim 45, further comprising:

means for adjusting a number of antennas in the subset of antennas in each iteration by adding to or deleting one or more antennas from the subset.

47. The first apparatus of claim 45, further comprising:

means for adjusting the subset of antennas;

means for receiving another plurality of reference signals transmitted by the second apparatus; and

means for determining one or more coefficients for the adjusted subset of antennas based on the other plurality of reference signals.

48. The first apparatus of claim 45, wherein the coefficients are selected from a set of values.

49. The first apparatus of claim 45, wherein one or more of the coefficients for each receive antenna correspond to one or more frequencies.

50. The first apparatus of claim 45, wherein the first and the second apparatuses are incorporated in a single apparatus.

51. The first apparatus of claim 45, wherein the means for determining comprises:

means for assigning an initial set of coefficients to one or more antennas of the first apparatus; and

means for updating one or more of the coefficients in the set in each iteration.

52. The first apparatus of claim 45, further comprising:

means for determining the preferred receive antenna pattern utilizing a beamforming codebook and the coefficients.

53. The first apparatus of claim 52, further comprising:

means for generating one or more additional receive antenna patterns by utilizing the beamforming codebook and the preferred receive antenna pattern.

54. The first apparatus of claim 45, further comprising:

means for determining a preferred transmit antenna pattern for transmissions from a second apparatus to the first apparatus; and

means for transmitting a message to the second apparatus, wherein the message comprises information about the preferred transmit antenna pattern.

55. The first apparatus of claim 54, further comprising:

means for disabling all but one antenna of the first apparatus or switching to an antenna configuration with a quasi-Omni-directional pattern utilizing one or more operating antennas;

means for receiving a plurality of signals from the second apparatus using the operating antennas;

means for measuring power of the plurality of signals received by the operating antennas; and

means for determining the preferred transmit antenna pattern for the transmissions from the second apparatus corresponding to a received signal with a highest power.

56. A first apparatus for wireless communications, comprising:

means for assigning a plurality of combinations of coefficients to one or more transmit antennas of the first apparatus for transmission in a plurality of iterations, wherein a number of nonzero coefficients in each combination is adjusted in each iteration;

means for transmitting, for each iteration, a plurality of reference signals to a second apparatus, wherein each reference signal is transmitted using one of the combinations of coefficients;

means for receiving a message from the second apparatus, wherein the message comprises an indication of a preferred combination of coefficients for the transmit antennas of the first apparatus, wherein the preferred combination is determined based on quality of a plurality of received reference signals at the second apparatus; and

means for determining a preferred transmit antenna pattern utilizing at least the preferred combination of coefficients.

57. The first apparatus of claim 56, further comprising:

means for transmitting data to the second apparatus with the preferred transmit antenna pattern.

58. The first apparatus of claim 56, further comprising:

means for determining the plurality of combinations of coefficients by selecting one or more nonzero coefficients and setting remaining coefficients to zero.

59. The first apparatus of claim 56, further comprising:

means for adjusting number of nonzero coefficients in the combinations of coefficients.

60. The first apparatus of claim 59, wherein the means for adjusting number of nonzero coefficients comprises:

means for adding another one or more nonzero coefficients to the combinations of coefficients.

61. The first apparatus of claim 56, wherein one or more coefficients for each antenna correspond to one or more frequencies.

62. The first apparatus of claim 56, wherein the first and the second apparatuses are incorporated in a single apparatus.

63. The first apparatus of claim 56, wherein each coefficient is selected from a set of values.

64. The first apparatus of claim 56, wherein the means for determining comprises:

means for determining the preferred transmit antenna pattern utilizing a beamforming codebook and the preferred combination of coefficients.

65. The first apparatus of claim 64, further comprising:

means for generating one or more additional transmit antenna patterns by utilizing the beamforming codebook and the preferred transmit antenna pattern.

66. The first apparatus of claim 56, further comprising:

means for transmitting a plurality of reference signals to the second apparatus, wherein the plurality of reference signals are used by the second apparatus to determine a preferred receive antenna pattern for receiving transmissions from the first apparatus to the second apparatus.

67. A computer-program product for determining a preferred receive antenna pattern for a first apparatus to communicate with a second apparatus, comprising a computer-readable medium comprising instructions executable for:

iteratively receiving, with a subset of antennas of a first apparatus, a plurality of reference signals transmitted by a second apparatus, wherein each reference signal is received utilizing a different combination of coefficients for the subset of antennas and the subset of antennas is adjusted after each iteration;

determining one or more coefficients for one or more antennas in the subset of antennas based on the plurality of reference signals; and

receiving data from the second apparatus with the preferred receive antenna pattern determined utilizing the coefficients.

68. A computer-program product for determining a preferred transmit antenna pattern for a first apparatus to communicate with a second apparatus, comprising a computer-readable medium comprising instructions executable for:

assigning a plurality of combinations of coefficients to one or more transmit antennas of the first apparatus for transmission in a plurality of iterations, wherein a number of nonzero coefficients in each combination is adjusted in each iteration;

transmitting, for each iteration, a plurality of reference signals to the second apparatus, wherein each reference signal is transmitted using one of the combinations of coefficients;

receiving a message from the second apparatus, wherein the message comprises an indication of a preferred combination of coefficients for the transmit antennas of the first apparatus, wherein the preferred combination is determined based on quality of a plurality of received reference signals at the second apparatus; and

determining the preferred transmit antenna pattern utilizing at least the preferred combination of coefficients.

69. A station for wireless communications, comprising:

a plurality of antennas;

a receiver configured to iteratively receive, with a subset of the antennas of the station, a plurality of reference signals transmitted by an apparatus, wherein each reference signal is received utilizing a different combination of coefficients for the subset of antennas and the subset of antennas is adjusted after each iteration; and

a processing system configured to determine one or more coefficients corresponding to a preferred receive antenna pattern based on the plurality of reference signals and to configure the receiver to receive data from the apparatus with the preferred receive antenna pattern.

70. A station for wireless communications, comprising:

a plurality of antennas;

a processing system configured to assign a plurality of combinations of coefficients to one or more transmit antennas of the station for transmission in a plurality of iterations, wherein a number of nonzero coefficients in each combination is adjusted in each iteration;

a transmitter configured to transmit, for each iteration, a plurality of reference signals to an apparatus, wherein each reference signal is transmitted using one of the combinations of coefficients; and

a receiver configured to receive a message from the apparatus, wherein the message comprises an indication of a preferred combination of coefficients for the transmit antennas of the station, wherein the preferred combination is determined based on quality of a plurality of received reference signals at the apparatus;

wherein the processing system is configured to determine a preferred transmit antenna pattern utilizing at least the preferred combination of coefficients.